True partnership
by ladyamen
Summary: [Balthier/Fran] The way of Viera
1. Pain

**Warnings:** mature sexual content

**Disclaimer:** Characters are not mine. I don't get any money for this.

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There is pain, where once has been the soothing voice of wood - now, only a constant missing. Like a background void which tugs and pulls on the broken strings of your soul. One gets used to it, especially after 50 years have passed, one should be able to endure it - or there would be no way to survive at all. Still, there are times where the hurt is too much to bear for as much, as a second longer. Even if the pain in its intensity isn't large enough to be insufferable itself, the time in which it's carried around adds up, constantly screaming for the shortest moment of relief, for a pause to gather enough strength to fight it for 50 years more to come.

It's a stab in the already bleeding wound as the wood rejects they path - not even to prevail, but just to pass trough. It's a clear declaration, a message only for her to understand - She is no longer welcome. Would they companions have come without her, they would have been able to find their way. The wood wants her to blame herself - she's the ultimate obstacle they all will fail upon.

She's left without a choice but to face them - those true Vieras - the ones who are still dwelling in their natural environment, who are still filled with the voice she's missing for so long.

It's fear, well hidden behind anger, nonetheless Balthier recognizes it without delay. "Making an appearance?" His voice tries to hide its concern - is this pain she's carrying really so obvious?

"I am." To speak it out loud helps her building up the determination, which yet hasn't settled in her heart.

"I thought you'd left for good." - A disguised offer to change her mind. It all could be so easy, so simple, just turn around and leave everything behind without as much as a single glance back. Well, it's all they have been doing till yet - running away.

"Our choices are few." Those words mean a world and more. She made her choice once, as did he himself. Balthier should understand what she means without any elaboration. Back then, well, even now, there aren't as many alternatives as he might believe. She increases her step and he follows along naturally. Vaan is already stumbling and calling out somewhere behind them, finding no regard. It strengthens her resolve, that Balthier is always on her side above everything, above all and everyone. Should she just voice her wish to do so, he would throw those appendages away, they call themselves companions without even knowing the full meaning of the word.

But Fran knows - "This is as much for you as it is for me" - surprising and stopping him in his stride. "Oh?" Is it possible he hasn't realized yet himself? Than he should know by now better, than to believe she hasn't noticed.

"You are ill at ease." A slight tilt of her head - a mocking challenge. Examining his face, every slight change in his features speaks volumes of thoughts and hidden wishes for her to read. "The nethecide troubles you?" But it's rather a question directed for him to be found, than to be answered aloud.

"You've let your eyes betray your heart." With this, the conversation is settled. It annoys him still, that she's reading him so easily. "Right..." An obsolete defeat. There wasn't a single time a conversation between them ended otherwise.

The path she sketches with her finger should have been long forgotten, but still comes forth naturally like breathing. "What are you doing?" - Vaan again, sticking his nose like a restless puppy in every wonder this world has to offer. "Soon you will learn." But her voice trembles, nothing a hume would notice. It takes a few precious seconds, in which she holds her breath - unsure if it will work at the end. Vaans exhaust, filled with pure admiration - drowns her own, so heavy with relief that it escapes her lungs only slowly.

The floating moos spreads out like a carpet - welcoming those who find their way back home. Still she isn't as sure as she makes it appear, taking the first step onto the soft surface, fully expecting that it will give away under her weight and devour her whole in the dark depthness of the wood. Her worst fear doesn't come true, still she feels the abomination she dared to take all the more.


	2. Want

Curled up against him in the darkness, back to back, a comfort, long forgotten - now streaming from every part where pure skin connects with his body. But the mind is still filled with concern and restless thoughts.

I will never leave him, unless he asks me so.

But, he won't. A pirate never gives away a treasure once captured, even if the treasure is more worth than those of measure.

The void is waiting to overwhelm me all over again, luring patiently - then we both know, it is only a matter of time. I would cry were I a hume, but our race doesn't - can't. No matter how deep the pain, fear or sadness - our souls are grounded, rooted in the reality with no space left to drown.

"Balthier" I breathe and he is all mine. The wish dwelling in my heart must be spoken while there is still time. "I want a child." His body tenses, like I've just hit him with a stone - well this should have been expected. There is no creature with more strive for freedom than him, he's young as well, so incredibly young - even in the years of humes. Despite the way he carries himself, despite the knowledge he gathered, despite the places and things he has seen, maybe he's still too young.

I have to explain, so he can be at ease once more.

"The wood will raise it, this is the way of Viera, the only way." A long pause follows. He seems to have lost the memory of how to breathe. Maybe there is still need to elaborate. "It wouldn't cut us down, nor change our way of living - not for a significant time." The pause still stretches, if not for the tension in the air I could have assumed he's fallen asleep. But then he turns around, touches my chin and guides my head up, so our eyes can meet even in the faint light of the night.

He seems to choke on his words. "Fran, ..." But the next part he says, makes no sense. "I'm in no position to stop you." His face is filled with hurt, but as well with undeniable love all written on his face with such immense complexity, that I have first to decipher the details. We stare at each other till he feels the need to speak. Humes often find comfort in words, filling the silence with the concern of their hearts. "You can call this place home, always." The realisation of his misunderstanding strikes me in surprise.

"Silly hume," I take a breath and it comes out with a smile "with you." I discover my heart throbbing, to speak of such matters shouldn't be as crushing as the current case turns out. "I want a part of you that..."

His eyes are wide with disbelief at first, an array of emotion changing so fast that is hard to separate or catch them. Then he finishes my sentence and in this instant he finally understands my motives - "that lasts."

So much pain between us, so much concern, so much sacrifice - freely given. And I kiss him deep and long to take it all away into the endless depths of the void that has always space for more. He parts from me and after a while there is still disbelief written in his features "But, ... how?"

Not much is known of the ways of Viera to the outside world, I must have thought about it sooner. Usually different races can not breed, despite the very possible sexual intercourse. So now, it actually makes sense - him imagening me with a male of my kind instead.

"A Viera is born with the blessing, air and song of the wood. The coupling vessels just carry it into this world. We have to travel to this place though, where the mist is gentle and the chosen males and females are tolerated to meet and prevail, for so long as it is required." I smile at the slightest imagination.

It's obvious that he still doesn't understand - the biological research of humes is strangely encrypted and differs greately from our belief. But his eyes are gentle as he cups my cheeks and bends down again for a second kiss, breathing the words against my lips "Now I see the support role you mentioned."


	3. Wood

He's nervous, he steadily grows more silent and restless. But my heart vibrates with each breath, drinking in the anticipation. They won't be able to reject us, not like before. The unborn child hasn't broken any laws and it is not in their power to expel an innocent soul, even one yet to be born.

Silent eyes follow our steps, puzzlement, curiosity, judgement - nothing unknown for us. He is on my side - head high, proud and without a trace of doubt or hesitation. But even Balthier has a hard time restricting himself from staring, not even once in the long history of viera did a male of our kind ever leave the woods - it must be quite a sight for a hume. So many in the very heart of the mating grounds - grouped together with their chosen ones, engulfed in a deep intimate ritual to produce a child. It's nothing like the heated mating of the humes, the motions are slow - almost frozen, like pictures, which change only after one blinks and even then just so slightly, that the observer can not be sure if it ever moved. A male breathes out, the female breathes in. The eyes and bodies locked, intertwined in a deep singular song - only heard by the two currently pairing - the forest forming a new soul. The trees part in our way deeper in, away from the most pairs scattered in the shelters of soft plants, it lures us further into the wood, surely seeking a more isolated spot - this silent judgement shouldn't be a surprise, still it hurts.

I can almost taste his heartbeat before he decides to speak out "Fran..." oh, his voice, if he would never stop speaking, it could almost replace the missing song.

"Balthier" With this, we stop. Only wild animals surround us, no more of my kind to find at the very edge of this sacred grounds - but nothing will harm us here as well.

Should he decide otherwise now, I wouldn't judge him, I could not. He must have read my thoughts trough my eyes, unguarded - only when I feel vulnerable the most. Because he leans in and seals his lips with mine without any further delay.

And I feel the air vibrating in his chest as he presses his body against mine. _There must be something about this place..._

His hands land on my sides and pull me even closer. _This hume ..._

He forces his tongue into my mouth, not caring for the sharp teeth and letting me freely taste the sweet hint of copper. _Why ..._

I'm taller when I'm wearing my heels, still his defining muscles and broad shoulders engulf my body, so that I feel smaller - weaker, as we crash almost forcefully against a tree. _There is ..._

I surely shouldn't have expected that we would mate slower, taking our time, or even remotely matching the usual rituals of my kind. But my own sudden craving for him to fill me, overwhelms even my wildest speculations. _There should ..._

He doesn't hesitate, as he pulls my armor down and throws it to the side. My body is surprisingly eager for this warm, hard feeling, already forcing his way inside. My moan presses trough our enclosed mouths, licking, pulling, almost trying to suck the others souls out.

Ecstasy eagerly building, his steady controlled moves - completely in contrast to his rigid breath and contracting fingers on my flesh. Him going in and out of me, too fast, too overwhelming, there are too many sensations about to burst. My eyes fly open and I see - green - piercing right through me, enjoying the expressions mine can not control. The green behind me is soft and welcoming, more familiar than any hume bed. _This is right ..._

"Fran..." A name carrying too much emotion - this heated passion is foreign to the woods. He kisses my jaw, my neck, my skin ... repeating "Fran, Fran, ..." And for me, the world could end and I would not care that there is nothing more left to explore. My eyes searching the sky, but meeting only the green leaves and branches and the feint mist of a long lost home. His name lies on my tongue, about to burst out ... but instead my ears hear a song, a feint melody which must come from my imagination - but, it suits his nature so much better than a simple name. With an inaudible cry - we both come. _This is more ..._

Crashing to the ground, no strength left to hold our bodies up for longer, I rip the white shirt from his chest - there is only hot fury, sweat and need left - not far from a berserker state - only engaged with the task of riding his still stiff member, never possibly satisfied.

As I'm about to throw him around, his teeth pierce the skin on my neck, rendering me trembling and shocked on this unusual violence. His hands seek my wrists, fixing them above my head - his eyes wild, deeper green than I've ever seen. "Balthier" Now my turn to form his name - producing a cocky smile on his face, as he relentlessly glides in and out of my heat.

The time is lost in the woods, there is no way to tell how often my body convulsed in pleasure, how many souls witnessed, got troubled or disturbed by our deed.

As my eyes can finally focus again, my body sore from pleasure and still crushed under his heavy weight, drenched in his pleasant scent, ... I find the world suddenly deafeningly quiet... almost as if a too loud song has played for too long, now leaving my ears ringing.

_Balthier_


	4. Joy

My heart is filled with such joy and warmness, as if time could truly be stopped and would never progress another day. My love now holding a bundle, where only small furred ears are peaking out for me to see. Even if there is no strength in me left to change my position, his expression speaks all the pictures I need - trough him I can even better observe the child we both created.

They curiosity is surely killing them, but only the yet untainted souls by our harsh rules - the children of the villages are brave enough to peek inside of our temporary home, naively thinking we didn't notice them luring in front of the windows. But there is nothing to hide in here, our happiness is shining like the sunrays of a warm summer morning, there for everyone to witness who cares to receipt.

Our child is a girl, a name yet to decide ... only a few days time before we have to part. He is holding her so tight, his face filled with so many emotions, that I'm already asking myself which words exist in this world to convince him that we have to leave her behind. This is her home, her descision to choose the way she wants to live. Although if she even inherited the slightest part of Balthiers character, there is no question about _how_, but only about _when_. Still, not even I can possibly know, in the coming long years - where I will have to wander the earth alone once more, his traces long cold but never forgotten - if I will ever see her again.

But for now, in my heart, there is only joy.


End file.
